Continuum of Development and Care
Through the mandate that came with the creation of the Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authority (YFA) as the collaborative body in Chatham County that addresses issues that affect children and families, the Authority has been charged with the responsibility of assessing programs, services and supports that exist in our community or are needed in order to achieve its vision that: "Every child will be born healthy, grow up healthy, be secure from abuse and neglect and become a literate, productive, economically self-sustaining citizen."
Realizing the importance of having a baseline and framework established to allow the Authority to have a comprehensive picture of the programs, services and supports that either exist or are needed in our community that directly relate to the developmental stages from prenatal/infancy through age 19, the creation of the Continuum of Development and Care (COD) was identified as one of the community outcomes in YFA's Strategic Plan. The need for this COD ultimately became the Strategic Goal #1 in the YFA's Strategic Plan.
The COD is an instrument that will identify the physical, mental and social requirements for each developmental stage for youth. It also addresses the needs, supports and services that both exist in the Chatham-Savannah community as well as the ones that are needed. The specific developmental stages targeted at the time work began on this project are prenatal, childhood and adolescence. These stages cover the age span from prenatal/infancy through age 19. A sub-committee, with a working committee for each of the three developmental stages, was formed to flesh out the programs, services and supports that currently exist in our community and how they relate to the developmental stages. Also being identified are barriers and areas where services and supports are needed.
For a considerable period of time, the committees and sub-committees have been working towards the completion of the COD. As this work became underway, the complexity, volume and intense magnitude of this project was quickly realized. The work groups thoroughly reviewed and assessed appropriate logic models to use for outlining and describing the COD across the targeted developmental stages. Realizing that the COD will always be a work in progress, as information and data are updated, what we have presently reflects the work that has been completed to date.
For informational purposes, the COD Workgroup Report (with the summary section) can be viewed and accessed from the lower left side. The COD Resource Guide will be a comprehensive outline of programs, supports and services concentrated in the Chatham-Savannah community as refinements continue. Realizing that this guide will require ongoing maintenance and updating, the present versions can be accessed from the lower right side. These are in the form of reports that reflect the information and data entered into the resource guide databases. Bear in mind that the information accessed below is not complete, and will be updated and/or modified as work continues on the monumental project of refining and completing the Continuum of Development and Care.
Reports from the Continuum of Development Workgroup
Agency Resources Reports
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